When Indiana departed for its tour of Montreal and Ottawa in early August of last year, the Hoosiers did so without their two best post options for the upcoming season.

Junior Hanner Mosquera-Perea was unable to make the trip due to Visa issues and Emmitt Holt was preparing for a postgraduate season at Vermont Academy. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Holt didn’t even emerge as a legitimate option for the Hoosiers until August, when reports began to surface that IU, in need of interior help, had inquired about bringing him to campus as a potential addition to the 2014 recruiting class.

Things progressed quickly from there as Holt committed on August 20 and arrived on campus shortly thereafter for the start of the fall semester. “My parents always told me that the worst feeling in life is to look back and say ‘I wonder’ because once doors close it’s rare they are reopened,” he wrote on his Twitter account on the day he made his pledge to the Hoosiers.

His freshman season got off to a rocky start as he was the driver in the accident on Nov. 1 that sidelined teammate Devin Davis for the year, a traumatic event that had to take a toll on Holt.

That accident, along with the suspensions of Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson, ended up serving as a turning point for Indiana’s season as the Hoosiers rallied in the wake of scrutiny and criticism from both fans and media.

As for his on-court performance, Holt was a contributor throughout the season and came up big in some key spots for the Hoosiers. In IU’s win over Pittsburgh in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, he went for 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes off the bench. And in a must-win situation earlier this month in the Big Ten tournament, Holt delivered eight points against Northwestern.

Looking towards his future, the upside Holt possesses is obvious. He’s got an incredible wingspan that allows him to play taller than his height and has solid hands with an ability to finish plays at the rim. From a percentage standpoint, he was IU’s best player in terms of drawing fouls as he finished with a free throw rate (FTA/FGA) of 83.3 percent. He was also, from a percentage standpoint, IU’s best offensive rebounder at 13.5.

Improvement as a free throw shooter (54 percent) should be a clear offseason objective for Holt, as should learning to defend without fouling as he averaged 5.8 fouls per 40 minutes, the second highest mark on the team.

Bottom Line: Holt grew up both on and off the court during his freshman season in Bloomington as he owned up to the mistake he made off the court and exhibited growth throughout the year on the court. Soft spoken and quiet, Holt was a surprise addition for Indiana late in last year’s recruiting cycle, but is the type of player that Indiana needs in the program to build continuity.

Quotable: “I think we can be really good next year. Guys coming back, everyone working hard in the offseason, we can really do some damage.” – Holt following IU’s loss to Wichita State.

Gosh, I was thinking the same thing a little bit ago.. I like these ‘That’s a Wrap’ articles.. just hope they do not become a portend of bad news…lol…

‘Nuff_Said

Maybe. The dust may not yet have settled.

IUfanPurduePhD

Just like we were told that Watford would play the 3 when Cody arrived…

IUfanPurduePhD

Even if Bryant comes, I don’t see HMP transferring. And I love Yogi, but he’s not a first round pick, so I don’t see him leaving. Which means that we’d have two four-year players next year.

Senor

Emmit embodies what I like about most of our core- Yogi, Troy, RJ, Colin, Emmitt, Nick….all have their flaws, but generally they all bring it effort-wise every game.

IUMIKE1

One would think that what you state would happen, but I just don’t think Crean will be open to that train of thought enough to give it the chance that it deserves, IF AT ALL !

IUMIKE1

Could not agree more. Just like all of our returning players, I have my offseason work cut out for me too, have to get all the holes in my walls patched up so that I once again have a place to bang my head against the wall when he refuses to play two actual bigs together at the same time and for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time.

IUMIKE1

A lot of options, no, probably not, but…..he had enough that he could have tried the, more than one big at a time, for longer stretches, or hell, even tried it period, and for the record, once or twice for a couple of minutes isn’t really trying it IMHO. Not even really trying it the last two years when there was more than ample reason to do so, makes me think that the chances that he suddenly starts doing it next year are slim and none, hope I’m wrong.

IUMIKE1

BOOM, exactly ! Thank you. Think it is possible for us to see more out of HMP next year than most are expecting and for the same reason. While he will probably still log several of his allotted minutes at the 5, regardless of who signs or doesn’t sign, he should be able to show us some play at the 4 if we can get that ever elusive true 5 that can contribute right away.

IUMIKE1

See nail, see hammer hit nail squarely on head of.

IUMIKE1

I am in no way trying to come off with this comment as a smart a$$, but I guess if he shows that he can’t do that then it pretty much makes the decision a whole lot easier for everybody.

Chris

If he’s setting up IU for longstanding success, he could really help most by leaving and letting IU get a coach that puts his team in the best position to win based on their skills and talents instead of forcing whatever roster he has to play the a desired style if it fits their skills or not, a coach that changes strategy during games when the planned one is not working, or a coach that seems to be able to develop some sense of defensive structure and cohesion.